Holiday Turning Projects 2011

A couple of months ago on a whim, I took a beginner pen turning class at my local Woodcraft. By the end of the class I was hooked. I couldn’t believe what I had been missing out on. I mean, you can experiment with extremely exotic wood for a small investment. I scoured some online ads and found a guy that had just upgraded and was letting his Jet mini lathe go, so I bought it. I did a few slimeline pens to get started, then I found some awesome kits from PSI for a razor handle, shaving brush and stand, so I decided to go for it. From left to right, they are chechen, bocote and maple burl. I finished them with the CA glue technique using micro mesh sheets. A little ultra gloss plastic polish on the highest speed and they came out to a really nice, glossy finish. I liked the way the maple burl looked so much, I decided to turn a quick pen with it.